At any point in time, there are literally millions of Internet users online and yet for most users the experience of using the Internet is a solitary, non-social activity. Although real-time communications channels such as the voice over internet protocol (VoIP), instant messaging (IM), and short message service (SMS) protocol are available, those systems do not allow object-specific, context-relative real-time communications directly associated with the object.
Likewise, the billions upon billions of media objects on the Internet exist in isolation unrelated to the users who may have created, consumed, commented on or are otherwise knowledgeable with regards to them. Although systems like bulletin boards or user groups exist to allow user interconnection related to specific subject matters, interests or media objects, those mediums are shifted in time. They do not present the media in any personalized or dynamic way to facilitate a real-time communication between users with the ease of one-click.
When users are doing commercial research or actually trying to purchase something online, this problem impedes efficient transactions and increases the number of unsatisfied customers due to a lack of real-time sales support to help them make happy and support efficient buying decisions. Although some businesses do offer real-time online sales support, it is not personalized, nor diversified, nor deployed in context on the web.
As means of communication improve, users of communication devices have an increased ability to consume, generate, and disseminate information, and to interact over the network through the sharing of information. In addition, the Internet has become a marketplace for goods and services offering wide selection at low prices. Despite these advantages, some consumers prefer the personalized experience of in-person sales and retain loyalty to so-called “brick and mortar” stores. Manufacturers, distributors, retailers, service providers, and advertisers seek improved means of marketing over the Internet and other networks.
Network marketing is not limited by a lack of available information; the Internet consumer is typically able to access a plethora of information available online. The digital information consumer perceives information conveyed over the network through various forms of media objects, including text, icons, voice, audio recordings, pictures, animations, videos, interactive widgets, and other audiovisual information. Descriptions of one or more forms of media objects may be combined in a data object, which the consumer accesses over the network. The data object may contain additional “metadata” information which is not typically observed by the consumer, but may instead define parameters useful in conveying information to the consumer, such as user identifiers, data locaters, data types, or data interpretation resources, as described below. Network users typically operate a physical device, such as a telephone, a text messenger, a cell phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a networked music/video player, a personal computer, or a public terminal, to interconnect with other users on the network. The network user typically utilizes a number of application programs to consume content on the network. Example application programs include a “media object player” and a “browser”.
A browser is an application program that is generally intended to display “web pages.” A web page is typically a two-dimensional image appearing as an individual page of information including one or more types of contained media objects. Multimedia content on the network appears in a virtual book format, which typically is displayed as an individually framed web page along with means for navigating to other related web pages. A web page may also be associated with audio output perceived by a page consumer. Data for web pages is often described in a format known as a Document Object Model (DOM).
Multimedia content may be directly perceived on a web page or may be indirectly accessible. Content on the page may be directly perceived by including one or more static media objects, such as a displayed image, or one or more dynamic media objects, such as a video in a media object player rendered within the image of the page. Examples of indirect access include access to an audio recording through background music, access through an auxiliary page or pop-up window, access through a sidebar or drawer attached to a window, access by invoking a menu item or toolbar, access provided through a link to another page, or access through an auxiliary program, such as a media object player. Two media object players are the Windows Media Player® available from Microsoft Corp. of Redmond, Wash. or the Apple QuickTime® player available from Apple Computer, Inc.
The source code for a media object or a web page may also contain one or more instances of script languages. ECMAScript is a script programming language, standardized by Ecma International of Geneva, Switzerland, in the ECMA-262 specification. JavaScript and Jscript are the most common implementations of the EMCAScript standard. “JavaScript” is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif.; technology is further developed and implemented under license by the Mozilla Foundation of Mountain View, Calif. “JScript” is an ECMAScript implementation from Microsoft, Corporation. JavaScript and Jscript are often used for client-side interactive web applications.
When a consumer accesses a web page, script functions can interact with the Document Object Model (DOM) of the web page to perform one or more tasks. Scripts may also be used to make service requests to remote servers after a page has loaded. These requests can obtain new information or data, as well as load or launch additional applications, e.g., media object players, content viewers, application plug-ins, or software codes. Script code can merge with the DOM of the underlying page so that one or more additional media objects are displayed or otherwise rendered on the page. Alternatively, the script code may initiate one or more additional pages or other rendering for the additional media object(s). When script code is embedded into an HTML document and subsequently accessed by a client application, the client application may retrieve and execute the script. The script may initiate service requests to one or more remote servers to retrieve and render one or more media objects that enhance the underlying content of the page, optionally using parameter values assigned in the embed code. For example, the script, when executed, may access stored locally stored user preferences or user attributes stored in relation to the use of browser “cookies” and contain one or more user attributes in a dynamically generated service request.
When a media object is published on the network, scripts may be inserted in tags within the media object or within the published web page, and invoked when a consuming user accesses the web page or clicks on a link in the page. For example, a media object may be displayed in physical proximity with related advertising. The tags may additionally allow for various functions to be executed in association with the consumption of the advertising. For example, an Internet service provider (ISP) may use embedded tags to track the number of reactions of the consumer to the advertising associated with the media object.
Research has shown that some consumers prefer, and are more likely to be influenced by, marketing efforts provided by access to persons familiar with the marketed goods, brands, or services. In a brick and mortar store, consumers prefer retailers who provide individualized service, trustworthy knowledge, superior support, and easy access to quality goods. Some consumers prefer the social experience of personal interaction. Consumers are also heavily influenced by the consumption preferences of their social peers.
At this time, there is no simple way to access analogous marketing social functions over the Internet. A goal of the present invention is to augment network advertising and branding with a plethora of social network opportunities to further marketing goals.